Samantha Liguori
September 8, 2010 EDC102H
Dr. Fogleman Personal Expertise Statement Despite the one incident I had this summer, where my hair was torn from the roots and I have scars from being bitten and scratched, I still believe I hold a certain position of expertise in the field of working with children on the autism spectrum. Most teachers who have me assist them in their classrooms all agree that I have a certain touch with these children. Some teachers believe their students who have autism are in a different world. Instead of trying to bring them into my world, I enter theirs. I know how to communicate with a child deemed nonverbal. I can make a routine van trip up to Bradley Hospital one of the greatest moments ever spent with a child, where he and I sing together and play games. The van driver would say how shocking it is to see such positive behavior come from the young boy. This same boy has also been caught in time with a photograph showing him staring intently into my eyes, even though little to no eye contact is a signature trademark of an autistic child.
Those are just a few of the examples I have working with autistic children for over ten years. To be extremely honest, I do not know how I developed my expertise. Ever since I started working in the special needs preschool, I was dubbed the “child magnet,” which was interesting since I was just ten years old at the time. Even today parents are amazed when their normally shy children become rather outgoing and friendly when I approach them. Growing up as an only child makes this discovery of expertise even more baffling to me and my family. One possible influence that helped me develop my expertise could in fact be the same reason I became interested in it.
My mother is a school psychologist in the Stonington, Connecticut School System. Ever since I was a young child I would occasionally tag along to school with her. I met many students, both younger and older than me, with varying disabilities. I think being around many different children with various needs taught me to interact with them using a certain amount of compassion and sensitivity. By the time I was ten years old I was old enough to volunteer at the special needs summer school for preschoolers. I worked with a head teacher, a speech pathologist, a physical therapist, and a group of paraprofessionals that all spent group time and one-on-one time with the preschoolers. Through my mom, the teacher and supporting staff, my expertise developed. Although I did not realize it, each summer my role in the classroom became more and more important. By my third summer in the program, I was working one-on-one with children diagnosed with autism. At first I was extremely nervous about having a child so severely disabled under my responsibility, but the teacher and my mom helped me along the way. They taught me that although I was nervous, I had a certain natural way with these children. By showing me more techniques and tools to aid these children in learning both academic and socially, my mom and the head teacher boosted my confidence. Ten years later, I have just finished my second summer as staff to Stonington Public Schools as a paraprofessional. It is extremely rewarding to go into schools and have children call my name while they run up to hug me. It is equally as rewarding to be able to say I have personal expertise in working with autistic children.
September 8, 2010 EDC102H
Dr. Fogleman
Personal Expertise Statement
Despite the one incident I had this summer, where my hair was torn from the roots and I have scars from being bitten and scratched, I still believe I hold a certain position of expertise in the field of working with children on the autism spectrum. Most teachers who have me assist them in their classrooms all agree that I have a certain touch with these children. Some teachers believe their students who have autism are in a different world. Instead of trying to bring them into my world, I enter theirs. I know how to communicate with a child deemed nonverbal. I can make a routine van trip up to Bradley Hospital one of the greatest moments ever spent with a child, where he and I sing together and play games. The van driver would say how shocking it is to see such positive behavior come from the young boy. This same boy has also been caught in time with a photograph showing him staring intently into my eyes, even though little to no eye contact is a signature trademark of an autistic child.
Those are just a few of the examples I have working with autistic children for over ten years. To be extremely honest, I do not know how I developed my expertise. Ever since I started working in the special needs preschool, I was dubbed the “child magnet,” which was interesting since I was just ten years old at the time. Even today parents are amazed when their normally shy children become rather outgoing and friendly when I approach them. Growing up as an only child makes this discovery of expertise even more baffling to me and my family. One possible influence that helped me develop my expertise could in fact be the same reason I became interested in it.
My mother is a school psychologist in the Stonington, Connecticut School System. Ever since I was a young child I would occasionally tag along to school with her. I met many students, both younger and older than me, with varying disabilities. I think being around many different children with various needs taught me to interact with them using a certain amount of compassion and sensitivity. By the time I was ten years old I was old enough to volunteer at the special needs summer school for preschoolers. I worked with a head teacher, a speech pathologist, a physical therapist, and a group of paraprofessionals that all spent group time and one-on-one time with the preschoolers.
Through my mom, the teacher and supporting staff, my expertise developed. Although I did not realize it, each summer my role in the classroom became more and more important. By my third summer in the program, I was working one-on-one with children diagnosed with autism. At first I was extremely nervous about having a child so severely disabled under my responsibility, but the teacher and my mom helped me along the way. They taught me that although I was nervous, I had a certain natural way with these children. By showing me more techniques and tools to aid these children in learning both academic and socially, my mom and the head teacher boosted my confidence.
Ten years later, I have just finished my second summer as staff to Stonington Public Schools as a paraprofessional. It is extremely rewarding to go into schools and have children call my name while they run up to hug me. It is equally as rewarding to be able to say I have personal expertise in working with autistic children.